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New Wave of Imposter Scams: Criminals Using Real SSA Employee Names and Fake Badges

Federal law enforcement agencies are warning the public about a surge in government imposter scams involving the misuse of real Social Security Administration (SSA) and Office of the Inspector General (OIG) employee names, fabricated badge images, and fraudulent social media profiles.

Recent reports show scammers are:

  • Using the name of a real SSA employee along with a fake badge or credential to appear legitimate.  
  • Using information from social media profiles to impersonate a real SSA OIG employee to initiate contact and build trust with potential victims.

These tactics mirror a broader trend in which criminals attempt to legitimize their schemes by sending doctored images of credentials, spoofing phone numbers, or posing as government officials online.

 How the Scam Typically Works

 Scammers may reach out by phone, text, email, social media, or mail. They often:

  • Pretend to be from SSA, SSA OIG, or law enforcement.
  • Claim there is a problem with your Social Security number, benefits, account, or identity.
  • Apply pressure to act immediately.  
  • Demand payment by gift cards, precious metals (gold bars), cryptocurrency, wire transfers, cash, or other payments that are hard to track.

 No legitimate government employee will ever:

  • Send photos of badges or credentials
  • Demand immediate payment or personal information
  • Ask for gift cards, gold bars, cryptocurrency, wire transfer, or cash
  • Threaten arrest or legal action

What You Should Do

  • Ignore unexpected outreach claiming to be from SSA or SSA OIG.
  • Create your my Social Security account to protect against identity thieves.
  • Do not trust caller ID — scammers can spoof government numbers.
  • Do not click links or download attachments from unknown senders.
  • Verify independently using publicly listed agency contact information.
  • Report fake social media profiles directly to the platform.

 If You Believe You Are a Victim

  • Stop all communication with the scammer
  • Notify your financial institutions
  • File a police report with local law enforcement

Report the scam to the FBI Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3): www.ic3.gov; Federal Trade Commission ReportFraud.FTC.gov; and oig.ssa.gov/report.

Download a PDF of this press release here.

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